State rep and local cattleman Senate candidates

A Roswell state representative and a longtime Elida rancher are finalists to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of longtime state Sen. Stuart Ingle, winning nominations from three of the five counties covered by the state senate district this week.

County commissioners from Curry and De Baca counties have nominated Rep. Greg Nibert, the Republican representative for House District 59, to replace Ingle, who resigned last month after serving in the state Senate since 1985.

Roosevelt County, meanwhile, is supporting Elida resident Pat Boone.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, will select Ingle’s replacement from nominations set forward by all the counties represented by Senate District 27, which along with Curry, Roosevelt and De Baca counties includes Lea and Chaves counties.

Lea and Chaves County commissioners have not yet announced their nominations, but both bodies are scheduled to meet this week.

Whoever is selected to fill the vacancy will head to Santa Fe for a 30-day legislative session in just about two months.

The Senate seat will be up for election next year, and the appointed term will run through the end of December 2024.

Ingle retired last month, saying he wants to spend more time with his family after nearly four decades in office.

Candidates

An attorney first elected to his House seat in 2016, Nibert touted himself as a strong advocate for the region, saying in a letter of interest he has worked “for the promotion and protection of our agriculture and oil and gas industries, Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico Military Institute and local small business.”

Nibert, who won other elections in 2018, 2020 and 2022, has served on multiple boards and commissions, including the Chaves County Commission and the Roswell Independent School District Board of Education.

Nibert has been House Republican whip since a shake-up in the middle of the 2023 legislative session.

Addressing Curry County commissioners Tuesday morning, Nibert referenced his conservative credentials, including his support of the oil and gas industry and “traditional family values” that he described as being under attack.

“I believe I have a track record of trying my best to ensure that the liberties our founding fathers brought forth are sustained and that every action government takes must consider how much liberty we’re taking from the individual,” Nibert said.

If selected by Lujan Grisham, Nibert’s House seat will also be up for appointment; his current term, too, is scheduled to end in December 2024.

Nibert said Tuesday that Chaves County commissioners would fill his open seat, since his House district is entirely within the county limits.

Boone, meanwhile, is longtime board member of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, where he has served in leadership roles including as president-elect in 2016-2017, a position that included serving as the organization’s lobbyist of record in Santa Fe.

He told Curry County commissioners he’s concerned about conservation causes that take land out of production.

“I’m an ag guy. I’m a rancher. I’m a cattleman,” Boone said. “... I’m a serious advocate for the agriculture industry.”

Others who have sought nomination include:

• Larry Marker of Roswell, a small oil and gas producer and self-described “fighter” who has gained attention in part by joining a lawsuit challenging the legality of abortion in New Mexico and by unsuccessfully campaigning as a write-in candidate for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands in 2022.

• Tate Alan Turnbough of Portales, chair of the Democratic Party of Roosevelt County, who said he grew up on a farm and ranch north of Clovis and who now works at a psychiatric clinic in Portales.

• Travis Glenn of Tatum, president of a well service company, who said he would fight for private land owners’ rights and parents’ ability to have input in school curriculums, among other issues.

• John Pietsch of Portales, a U.S. Air Force combat veteran who said his priorities would include “healthcare accessibility, education reform, job creation, and environmental sustainability.

In Curry County, only Commissioner Fidel Madrid voted against Nibert’s nomination, saying he would prefer Turnbough. Commissioner Brad Bender said the choice was difficult.

“I would hope that each one of you would run and let the people decide next year,” Bender said.

In Roosevelt County, only Commissioner Dennis Lopez voted against Boone’s nomination, saying he supported Nibert.

Curry County commissioners were also scheduled later in Tuesday’s meeting to discuss the county assessor vacancy left after the abrupt resignation of Randa Jesko.

Landry Sena of The News contributed to this report.